Improvement in horseshoes



R. PRUESSING.

Horseshoe.

No. 211,930. Patented Feb. 4,1879.

NI'I'ED STATES PA'rn'r FFIE.

RICHARD PRUESSING, OF DAVENPORT, IOWA, ASSIGNOB, OF ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TO HENRY THUENEN, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN HORSESHOES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 211,930, dated February 4, 1879 application filed January 9, 1878.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, RICHARD PRUESSING, of Davenport, in the county of Scott and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Horseshoes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 represents a top perspective view of my improved horseshoe. Fig. 2 is a bottom view. Fig. 3-is a side view.

This invention relates to improvements in the class of pads or cushions for the feet of horses, to facilitate their travel upon rough roads, to prevent injury to sound hoofs, and protect diseased or defective hoofs and afford them opportunity to become cured; and the invention consists in an elastic horseshoe having a tread, a flange or shelf inclined toward the toe, and an arched portion, all formed from the same material and in one piece, and provided with metallic side and toe shields or nail-plates, all as will be hereinafter fully described.

In the drawings, A represents an elastic pad or cushion, the lower or ground portion, B, conforming to the shape of an ordinary horseshoe, it being, however, made thicker and not so wide at the heel, and increasing in width toward the front, as shown at B. The pad or cushion is provided, near the top of portion B, with an outwardly-proj ectin g flange or shelf, 0, adapted to support the outer margin of the hoof. The space included within the top edges of the portion B is provided with a curved or arched portion, A, forming a continuation of said portion B, and of the same material, and formed in one piece therewith. The rear portion of the part A is cut away, as shown at A,'to fit around the frog nails, the flange 0 being provided with holes coincident with those in the'plates or shields b. The pad or cushion is made of vulcanized india-rubber, gutta-percha, or other similar material having snffieient elasticity to take up the jar or jolt of the horses tread.

When the shoe is to be used it is placed with the upper surface of the curved or arched portion A against the under surface of the horses hoof, the space A surrounding the frog thereof, and the flange or shelf 0 resting against the outer margin of the hoof. The nails are then driven through the plates or shields b and flange or shelf 0 into the hoof, the same as in ordinary horseshoeing. The bottom of the portion B should be roughened or grooved transversely, as shown at d, Fig. 2, to preventslipping. The distance of the flange or shelf 0 from the ground diminishes somewhat from the heel toward the toe of the shoe, it giving a much easier tread to the horse.

I am aware that an elastic shoe for horses is old, and such I do not desire to claim broadly as my invention 5 but I claim as my invention- The herein-described elastic horseshoe, consisting of the tread portion B B, flange or shelf 0, inclined downward toward the toe, and provided with the side and toe metallic shields or nail plates 1) I), and the arched or curved portion A A, as specified.

B. PBUESSING.

Witnesses:

BL. PETERS, i r J. HOWARD HENRY. Y 

